Light of Snow
by LuxaTheUnderlander
Summary: Okay, this is my first Warriors Fanfic. It is very non-canon, and it takes place BEFORE the time of Firestar or Bluestar or any of the Clan cats we know. It follows the life of a warrior called Snowsong, leading up to her leadership of ThunderClan. Enjoy!
1. Prologue

_**-Light of Snow-**_

**The Life of a Leader**

**Okay, I've been meaning to write a Warriors fic for some time, and now I will finally write one. It is completely non-canon, despite the similar places from the books. It takes place BEFORE the time of Firestar, Bluestar, or any of the oldest Clan Cats from the series. I want to do something different. **

**This story follows a ThunderClan warrior called Snowsong through her life, passing through her kittenhood, apprenticeship, life as a noble ThunderClan warrior, leadership of ThunderClan, and finally ending when she joins StarClan. I really hope you enjoy the characters, and I'll try my best to make Snowsong a cat you can relate to. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Warriors Series; it belongs to the brilliant Erin Hunter. If I owned it, I would be basking in the glow of my brilliantness somewhere sunny…perhaps Fiji.**

* * *

**-Prologue-**

"Sparkstar!"

A soft but firm cry split through the night, drawing the leader of ThunderClan to his feet. His deputy, Flamefur, came bursting through the curtain of lichen that closed off the leader's den from the rest of the camp.

Sparkstar stretched. "What is it, Flamefur?" he asked the rusty, flamed colored tom calmly, but then noticed the worry in his deputy's brown eyes. "Is something wrong?"

Flamefur took a breath. "It is Skywing, Sparkstar. She is badly hurt! It looks like the work of a fox!" he mewed, his words filled with anxiety.

The ThunderClan leader lashed his tail. "Great StarClan!" he groaned, thinking about the prospect of his medicine cat being wounded by one of the forest foxes. "Will those beasts never leave us alone?"

Flamefur just shook his head fearfully. Sparkstar could tell it was terrible, or else Mosspath, Skywing's apprentice, would have been able to help. She was a very talented young cat, and had eagerly learned everything her mentor had to show her about herbs and medicines. But now it looked like much, much more would be expected of the young she-cat.

"All right, let's go." He said, brushing away the lichen with his paw and hurrying out of the den, Flamefur trailing directly behind him. He swiftly crossed the camp to the medicine cat's den, where he heard soft, nervous purrs.

Inside he found Mosspath crouched over her mentor, pressing a cobweb to the deep wound on her shoulder. Eaglestorm, a respected senior warrior, was also there. He looked up when Sparkstar and Flamefur entered, nodding respectfully to his leader and deputy.

"Mosspath, is this serious?" Sparkstar asked the young apprentice, who was desperately trying to hang on to Skywing and help her.

The she-cat looked at him and blinked anxiously. "Yes, Sparkstar. I fear…" her light purr trailed off as a moan escaped Skywing's mouth. "What is it, Skywing?" Mosspath meowed gently, bending over her.

"It is StarClan." Skywing rasped. "I must join them. But before I do…"she stopped abruptly, staring upwards.

"Yes?" Sparkstar prompted.

"Dark times approach, and only the light of Snow will act as a remedy." The dying medicine cat continued, her voice barely a whisper. "Heed this."

And her eyes glazed over, staring up at nothing. She had gone to join StarClan.

Mosspath bent over to share tongues one last time with her mentor, head dipped in sorrow. After about a minute, but what seemed like moons to the rest of them, she backed away.

"I am the new Medicine Cat now." She said simply, eyes clouded with sadness. "StarClan wishes me to know this." She went over to the corner of the den and curled up, her bushy brown tail concealing her sad face.

Flamefur and Eaglestorm each in turn bent over to share tongues with the much respected medicine cat. When they had finished, they left the den in silence. Sparkstar then took his turn.

"We shall miss you, Skywing. But you are with StarClan now." He muttered, giving her cold silver ear a lick. He shared tongues with her for another few minutes, remembering all she had done for the Clan. She had helped them through the hardships of last Greenleaf, where many cats had come down with terrible cases of fever from the heat, or else thirst from the long drought. She had cared for cats all throughout her life, and she would be missed.

He backed away and trod over to Mosspath, who was still mourning her mentor. "Good luck, Mosspath." He said, licking the tip of her ear affectionately. Then he left the den out into the moonlight.

The stars of Silverpelt looked brighter than ever, as if welcoming their newcomer. Skywing would be respected there, Sparkstar was sure of that. But what about that prophecy? Did it have something to with the coming Leaf-Bare, which was promised to be full of snow? Was it to be harsher than usual? There was no way of knowing, now that Skywing had left them. StarClan was watching them, yes, but if only they could give the Clan some sign, some explanation to this cryptic prophecy. But how?

The leader's sleep was much disturbed by dreams of foxes, badgers, and other beasts attacking the Clan. He dreamt that one fox had blood on his muzzle; that was the one who had attacked Skywing. He was surprised he even slept at all.

When he finally jerked awake, sunlight was streaming through the curtain of lichen, and there were soft murmurs outside his den. He got to his paws and stretched, padding out of the entrance. A warrior, Yellowtail, appeared to be waiting for him. She dipped her head respectively and strode over to him.

"Icepelt's kits have come at last, Sparkstar." She said, and walked away, over to wake her apprentice for training. Sparkstar sighed. He wasn't really in the mood to meet the kits, but then again, at least they would have more warriors to fight during these prophesized hard times. So he made his way over to the nursery, noticing the solemn looks on his Clan's faces. So they had heard about Skywing.

He entered the nursery and saw Icepelt cheerfully nursing three kits. She shot Sparkstar a smile as he entered, as if thanking him for coming to see her and her kits, even under the circumstances.

Mosspath was crouched next to her, and upon seeing Sparkstar, padded right over to him.

"They are all healthy and strong kits." She said, looking at him. "Icepelt has already decided on names." She gestured with her tail towards a dark gray kit that looked a lot like his father, Coalstripe.

"That is Swipekit." She then gestured towards a soft gray kit with white paws. "That is Mistkit."

She gave Sparkstar a deep and distinguished look, as if trying to tell him something, before introducing the final kit.

"And this," she said, gesturing to the stunning white kit with a small tint of silver in her pelt, "is Snowkit."


	2. Wake up, Snowkit!

**-Chapter 1-**

"Wake up, Snowkit, wake UP!"

Snowkit was awoken abruptly when her sister Mistkit pounced on top of her.

"Stop it, Mistkit! Mother made you stop doing that!" she said, swiping her sister playfully with her tail.

"Well, I can't help that I want to get going! Father said he'd take us hunting today, our last hunt as kits! Tomorrow is our ceremony!" Mistkit said, giving Snowkit's ear a lick.

Snowkit was immediately wide awake. Tomorrow they would be apprentices, real apprentices, in training to be fierce, brave ThunderClan warriors! She could hardly wait!

"All right, I'm up. When are we leaving?" Snowkit asked, stretching and looking around the nursery that had been her home for nearly six moons. But tomorrow night they would be moving to the apprentice den! Of course, it would be the first time any of the three kits had been away from their mother, Icepelt, but Snowkit was going to be brave. No ThunderClan apprentice could be scared! All the same, though, the young kit would miss curling up next to her mother when she was tired, listening to her purr as she groomed Snowkit and her siblings clean.

"As soon as Father returns from the dawn patrol." Mistkit said excitedly. Suddenly movement from the corner of the nursery startled the two sisters.

"Great StarClan! Mistkit, Snowkit, it's the crack of dawn!" their mother was rising from her nest, looking mildly surprised that her kits were up so early.

"Swipekit is already up." Mistkit pointed out matter-of-factly.

"He is?" Icepelt mewed questioningly. "Well, you'd better call him back in. There's still a little while before your father returns to take you three out." She instructed, lying down again.

"I'll get him." Snowkit meowed, padding over to the nursery exit and peeking her head out. Her brother was looking enviously at the fresh-kill pile. The kits weren't allowed to eat yet, not until everyone else woke up.

"Swipekit, mother wants you back here until father comes." Snowkit called, catching Swipekit's attention. He sighed and walked over to her, brushing his flank against hers.

"I think he's coming back now. I smell the dawn patrol returning early." He purred confidently, already very sure of himself.

Snowkit cocked her head quizzically, but sure enough, there was movement in the gorse tunnel and Flamefur, the ThunderClan deputy, emerged, followed by Foxfrost, Marshpaw, and their father. She had to admit, Swipekit had good warrior senses.

Upon spotting two of his kits, Coalstripe nodded respectfully towards Flamefur and stepped over to Snowkit and Swipekit.

"I see you're awake early. Good, then we can go out now. Where is Mistkit?" Coalstripe asked, looking around.

At that moment, Mistkit appeared, pounding out of the nursery. "I'm here!" she cried, slowing to a stop when she reached them.

"Mistkit, you must calm down if you are going to hunt. You must concentrate." Coalstripe said calmly. Mistkit dipped her head.

"I will." She said, calming down considerably.

"Good. Now take a piece of fresh-kill before we go. You know the rules of being on a hunting patrol." Coalstripe waited, obviously wanting one of them to remind the others of the rules. Snowkit decided that she should be the one to do that; it would show that she was ready to be an apprentice.

"Feed the Clan first!" Snowkit said confidently, waiting for approval. Coalstripe nodded.

"Excellent, Snowkit. You will make a great apprentice." He approved, gesturing his tail towards the fresh-kill pile. Mistkit looked slightly crestfallen about not being told that _she _would make a good apprentice. _She'll get over it soon, _Snowkit decided, _father will be so happy with our hunting skills!_

Snowkit took herself a nice, plump mouse and devoured it hungrily. She had only started eating solid food a moon or two ago, and she especially enjoyed mice. Swipekit and Mistkit shared a decent-sized vole. Coalstripe did not eat, as he was an honorable warrior who liked to feed the rest of the Clan before he ate.

The little group left through the gorse tunnel and walked a little ways, until Coalstripe stopped them and beckoned them closer.

"What do you smell?" he whispered. Swipekit answered.

"I smell fox." He purred proudly.

"How old?" Coalstripe asked.

"It's stale, so around…two moon rises?" Snowkit guessed. Coalstripe nodded his approval.

"Now what do you hear?" he whispered again, even more softly. The kits listened hard. There was a small scuffling sound coming from a little ways ahead.

"It's a mouse!" Mistkit whispered loudly.

"Good job, Mistkit. Now Snowkit, would you like to practice your stalking?" Coalstripe turned to Snowkit, who nodded.

"Yes, father, I'd love to!" she mewed, quietly but with great excitement. She was going to stalk a mouse! Now was a chance to prove that she would make a good apprentice. She would be the best there ever was, and all of the Clans far and wide would know her name!

"Keep low." Coalstripe hissed as Snowkit crouched down. "Step lightly on your paws. The mouse can feel you through the ground."

Snowkit soon saw the small form of the plump mouse in the grass. She quickened her pace. At the last second the mouse's head snapped to the side, feeling Snowkit's presence. But by then it was too late. Snowkit pounced, pinning down the mouse's tail with her paw. She unsheathed her claws and killed it with a bow. Then she looked back at her family proudly.

"Excellent, Snowkit." Coalstripe meowed approvingly. Snowkit purred with satisfaction.

"Great job, Snowkit!" Mistkit congratulated, with Swipekit nodding his agreement beside her.

"Now bury it, and we'll come back for it later." Coalstripe instructed. Snowkit nodded and dug a hole, burying the mouse. The white kit straightened up once more and followed her family to another hunting spot.

By the time the patrol was complete, each kit had caught an abundance of fresh-kill and emerged through the gorse tunnel proudly to present their kill to the Clan and prove their skill.

Eaglestorm was guarding the tunnel, and he nodded to them as they passed.

"Excellent catch, young kits. Are you ready to be apprenticed?" he purred.

Mistkit nodded. "Our ceremony is tomorrow, that's what Flamefur said!" she exclaimed happily.

"Yes, I can see you are ready. You will each become great warriors, I can tell." Eaglestorm said, making the kits purr with joy.

"Thank you, Eaglestorm." Snowkit blinked respectfully and padded away.

Swipekit and Mistkit went back to the nursery, most likely to inform their mother of the successful patrol, but Snowkit didn't feel like returning yet. She decided to investigate the apprentice den, to become accustomed to it before she moved in with her siblings.

"Snowkit!" a voice cried happily and jumped on her as she entered the den for a look.

"Hi, Fawnpaw!" Snowkit greeted her friend. Fawnpaw was only a little older than Snowkit, and had only been made an apprentice a moon ago. They had grown up in the nursery together. She was a very pretty white cat with ginger paws and speckles all over her body.

"Falconclaw told me that tomorrow is your apprentice ceremony!" Fawnpaw mewed, excited that her friend was going to be an apprentice like her. Falconclaw was Fawnpaw's mentor, and an excellent one at that. Snowkit hoped that she would have a mentor as great as Falconclaw.

"It's true!" Snowkit informed her friend.

"Fawnpaw!" A voice called, and Falconclaw's brown tabby head emerged from the entrance of the den. "Did you forget about your training today?"

"Oh, yeah!" Fawnpaw remembered. "I'm coming, Falconclaw." She said to her mentor, and turned back to Snowkit. "I'll see you later!" she meowed, and rushed out of the den. Snowkit did the same, except a little slower. She gave a yawn. She was tired, and hungry. And she had to keep up her energy if she was going to start full out training soon.

She grabbed herself a plump thrush and dragged it back to the nursery, to share with her mother and siblings.

----------------------------------

"Flamefur! Mosspath!" Sparkstar hissed, beckoning the deputy and medicine cat, who had been conversing beside Highrock, into his den.

"Yes, Sparkstar?" Mosspath purred as she and Flamefur passed through the lichen curtain.

"You must help me to decide on mentors for Icepelt and Coalstripe's kits. Especially Snowkit." The leader mewed, standing up out of his nest.

Mosspath cocked her head questioningly. "I would have thought that to be obvious, Sparkstar." The young she-cat said, her bushy brown tail swinging lightly back and forth.

Sparkstar was confused. What did she mean? "Why?" he asked.

"I would have thought that the only cat you would trust to mentor our possible savior would be yourself."

The three cats were all silent for a moment. As usual, Mosspath was right. Although he hadn't considered it before, he agreed with the medicine cat. Of course, who better to mentor the cat than himself? Yes, he would want to have Snowkit as his apprentice, he definitely would.

"You are correct as usual, Mosspath." He meowed, licking her ear affectionately. Ever since that fated night when she had taken over as medicine cat, she had grown greatly on him. Even though her apprenticeship had ended rather early, she had learned everything she possibly could have from Skywing. The past six moons had been free of terrible illnesses, thanks to Mosspath. Even leaf-bare had gone smoothly, despite the fact that there had been less food than his Clan needed.

"All right then." Mosspath said, pressing her flank against his. "I should be going now. I believe you'll be able to come up with mentors for the other two." She said. When Sparkstar nodded, the dark brown she-cat padded out of the den. When she left, Flamefur gave a little _mrrow_ of laughter.

"You fancy her, don't you?" he said, swiping his tail over Sparkstar's face. Flamefur was one of the few warriors he felt he could trust with anything he told him, and that was why he had chosen him as deputy. Sparkstar just groaned.

"She's a medicine cat, there's no way. But she's…" the leader's voice trailed off. Yes, he did fancy Mosspath, but since she was a medicine cat, it wouldn't ever work out. Medicine cats weren't permitted to have kits; it went against the warrior code.

Flamefur just laughed again, and walked out of the den. Sparkstar curled up back in his nest, already having mentors in mind for the two remaining kits.

And Snowkit and her siblings were curled up next to their mother to sleep beside her for the last time before they left the nursery.


	3. A Complicated Ceremony

**-Chapter 2-**

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around Highrock for a Clan meeting!"

Sparkstar's voice rang out around the whole camp, and Snowkit, who had been over by the fresh-kill pile, looked up. It was finally, after all these moons, time!

The white kit padded nervously but excitedly over to Highrock, where Swipekit and Mistkit were already waiting. The Clan cats were all gathering around Highrock, where Sparkstar was standing, looking ready for this serious occasion. Snowkit tried her hardest to sit up straight and tall, to look ready to begin her training. Her siblings too, were doing the same.

Once every cat had gathered around, Sparkstar began to speak again. "Cats of ThunderClan, we are here to witness the naming of three new apprentices." He began. Then, tilting his head upwards, he spoke again.

"StarClan, we hope you accept these esteemed kits as warriors-in-training." He meowed to the sky. All was silent for a moment.

"Swipekit, please step up." Sparkstar spoke softly. Swipekit padded over to the center of Highrock. Sparkstar looked down at his Clan. "Eaglestorm, Thrushwhisker, a noble warrior, was your mentor. We are sad to say that she has joined StarClan now. But she taught you many things, and I hope you pass all of your skill on to Swipekit, now Swipepaw, as his new mentor."

Eaglestorm nodded and went up to touch noses with his new apprentice. Snowkit smiled for her brother, happy that he had gotten such a good mentor. But who would be hers?

"Mistkit, please step up." Sparkstar spoke again, and this time Mistkit walked excitedly toward Highrock.

"Thistlewind, your mentor was Scarletclaw." He began, looking first at a sandy colored cat that was Thistlewind, and then towards the strong, red warrior that was Scarletclaw. "She passed much on to you, and I think you are ready to have your first apprentice. I hope you pass on all you have learned to Mistkit, now Mistpaw, as her mentor."

Mistpaw happily went to touch noses with Thistlewind, who looked very excited at the prospect of having her own apprentice. She was a younger warrior. Her warrior ceremony had been four moons ago.

"And finally," Sparkstar purred, "Snowkit, please step forward."

Snowkit walked nervously to Highrock, but was careful not to let herself stumble one bit. When she reached it, she turned back to the Clan and saw all eyes on her. It was a scary feeling, but she looked right back at them, trying to guess who her mentor would be. Would it be Yellowtail, whose last apprentice had only just become a warrior? That would be okay.

Sparkstar cleared his throat. "It has been many moons," he started, "since I have had my last apprentice. I chose not to take another on after we lost Cloverpaw to that Thunderpath monster.

"But I have decided to take on another, in hope that I can teach her everything I learned as an apprentice. I will be the mentor of Snowkit, now called Snowpaw."

Snowpaw couldn't help it, she gasped softly. He had chosen _her _as his apprentice? Why? Was there something special about her?

Sparkstar stepped down from Highrock and rubbed his head on Snowpaw's neck. "You will learn a lot, I promise you that." He muttered, and disappeared back in his den, leaving Snowpaw standing there in shock.

Someone came up behind her. "Snowpaw, you're so lucky!" Fawnpaw gave her ear an affectionate lick. Snowpaw nodded halfheartedly, still unsure.

"I guess." Snowpaw meowed, and walked off, not having any wish to talk to anyone right now. She just wanted to be alone, to think things over.

At first she made for the nursery, but after remembering that she was an apprentice now, altered her course over to the apprentice den. She pulled a clump of moss over beside Fawnpaw's nest and laid down, head in her paws.

Why had Sparkstar picked her over any other cat? Why had he decided just now to replace Cloverpaw, and why with her? Was he following StarClan's wishes? There was nothing special about her, was there?

Her mind was already overwhelmed with questions, and she hadn't even begun training yet! Just thinking about training brought even more questions to mind. Would Sparkstar have time to give her the full training that an apprentice needed? He always seemed busy, or else just in his den, doing the unknown. Would he make time for her?

She really needed someone to talk her thoughts out to, but she couldn't think of anyone. Mistpaw and Swipepaw would be too preoccupied with being apprentices and starting training that they wouldn't find it extremely important at the time. Fawnpaw…well, she was nice, but she would just think Snowpaw was crazy for not being unsure of having a mentor as dignified as the Clan leader. And her mother and father…well, now that she was older, she really didn't think she could tell the anything that personal. She was already growing away from them. No, there was only one cat she could think of who she'd be able to talk to without fear of being put down.

"Mosspath, can I talk to you?"

She had just stepped inside the medicine cat's den. For the past six moons she had come to the Mosspath if she needed advice or just a cat to talk to. Even though she had no interest in becoming a medicine cat, as she would much rather become a warrior, she had felt a special bond between her and the other she-cat.

Mosspath had been tying up a bundle of poppy seed, but she straightened up when Snowpaw came in.

"Hello, Snowpaw!" she purred warmly, waving her bushy tail at the apprentice. "Yes, I am almost done. Can you just help me with this last bundle?"

Snowpaw nodded and put together the last bunch of poppy seed and passed it over to Mosspath.

"Thank you, Snowpaw." Mosspath purred. "We may need these sooner than you think."

Snowpaw was confused. Why? Why would they need so much poppy seed? Was someone in the Clan in pain? She didn't think so. It was so typically Mosspath, saying things without an explanation. But sometimes that was why she loved being with the cat.

"Now what did you need?"

Mosspath's meow jerked her out of her thoughts. "Oh, um, I was just…a bit confused about why I…" Snowpaw's voice trailed off, suddenly thinking that maybe Mosspath wouldn't understand as well as she hoped. But it turned out she did.

"Was chosen to be Sparkstar's apprentice?" Mosspath finished for her. Snowpaw looked up.

"Yes." She said. "I mean, why did he pick _me_, over any other cat?" her head dipped down again.

Mosspath's put her tail under Snowpaw's chin and pushed it up. "You were chosen because Sparkstar believes you have extraordinary potential to be a great, great warrior. And so do I."

Snowpaw was surprised. "You really think so?"

Mosspath gave a purr and touched noses with the young apprentice. "I'm sure. There are…signs, that, if interpreted correctly, prove that." She said, turning around and beginning to pace up and down the den.

"What? What do you mean, there are _signs_? What signs? Mosspath, tell me!"

Snowpaw hadn't meant to burst out like that all at once, and when Mosspath cocked her head challengingly, the apprentice dipped her head. "Sorry." She muttered. A small smile played across Mosspath's face.

"It's fine, Snowpaw. You will know when StarClan and Sparkstar feel it is time."

Mosspath mewed, and turned back to her herbs. Snowpaw desperately wanted to know more, but she could tell it was time for her to leave now.

"Yes, Mosspath. Goodbye." She said respectively, and padded out of the den at Mosspath's nod.

"There you are, Snowpaw."

Snowpaw looked up into her father's face. He had obviously been looking for her.

"Sparkstar recommends you rest. He wishes to take you out for a tour of the territory at dawn." Coalstripe notified her.

"Yes, Coalstripe." Snowpaw purred to her father. She knew cats grew farther away from their parents when they were apprentices, so she decided to start calling her father by his name.

She walked off to the apprentice den. Fawnpaw was there, obviously wanting to talk, but Snowpaw wasn't in the mood. She just curled up on a spare clump of moss and waited for sleep.

She had expected her talk with Mosspath to help her get a better understanding of her situation, but somehow, it had only made her more confused.


	4. RiverClan

**-Chapter 3-**

Snowpaw opened her eyes and saw sunlight streaming into the apprentice den. Fawnpaw was stirring beside her as well.

"Hi, there." Fawnpaw purred to Snowpaw, smiling warmly at her and giving her a lick.

"Hi, Fawnpaw." Snowpaw muttered, stretching and opening her jaws in a huge yawn.

"Did you sleep well?" her friend asked. Snowpaw nodded.

"I sure did." She mewed. "And today's my first day of training!" she yelped, remembering.

"Hey! _Some _cats don't get up at the crack of dawn!" a grumpy meow came from the front of the den.

"Well they _should_." Fawnpaw said crossly, looking over at Wildpaw, who had been the one speaking.

"Sorry, Wildpaw." Snowpaw apologized, not wanting to be on bad terms with the older apprentice tomcat.

The white apprentice's mind wandered back to her training. It would be so exciting! Who was her mentor again? Was it Eaglestorm? No, he was Swipepaw's mentor. Thistlewind? No, she was Mistpaw's mentor.

And then she remembered yesterday's ceremony, and how Sparkstar had chosen her to be his apprentice. Her heart sank as she recalled her conversation with Mosspath, and how the medicine cat had been unable to explain his reasoning to her. Suddenly she wasn't so keen to embark on her unsettling training.

"Snowpaw? Snowpaw, are you okay?" Fawnpaw was waving her tail in front of her face. She jerked back to reality and realized that she was very hungry.

"I'm fine. I'm just going to go get some fresh-kill." Snowpaw mewed, and walked out of the den into the sunlight.

A few cats were already up, including Mistpaw and Swipepaw, who were already over at the fresh-kill pile.

"Snowpaw!" Mistpaw squealed in delight as she saw her sister and charged over to her. "Did you sleep well? I did. Swipepaw said he did, too! Isn't the apprentice den _fun?_"

She said this all very quickly.

"I slept fine." Snowpaw purred, taking herself a plump thrush and beginning to eat it. Immediately she felt the hunger gnawing at her diminish some. But the nervousness and anxiety didn't fade at all.

"Can I have some?"

Snowpaw turned to see Redpaw, Wildpaw's littermate and son of Flamefur, standing behind her.

"Sure." She purred, passing part of the thrush over to Redpaw. She would never be able to eat the whole thing, anyway.

"Thanks!" the red-brown apprentice meowed gratefully, and took a bite. They ate in silence for a moment before Redpaw spoke again.

"Congratulations on becoming Sparkstar's apprentice." He mewed, looking at her. Snowpaw blushed.

"Thanks." She smiled. Maybe it wasn't so bad, being the Clan leader's apprentice. "How has your training with Windstorm been going?" Windstorm was Redpaw's mentor.

"Great!" Redpaw mewed happily, and then, as if he couldn't hold it in, "He says he's going to talk to Sparkstar about making me a warrior!"

Snowpaw swallowed a mouthful of thrush. "That's great!" she purred, brushing her flank against his. Redpaw nodded, his gaze filled with gratitude for her support.

"Well, I'll talk to you later. I think I see Windstorm getting up." He said, giving her one last smile before padding off to see if his mentor had awakened yet. Snowpaw's mood had lightened considerably from before, and she finished off her thrush cheerfully.

"Are you ready to go out, Snowpaw?"

The white apprentice's head snapped up and she found herself looking into Sparkstar's amber eyed gaze.

"I think so." She meowed, a bit of her former anxiety returning.

"Then let's go." Sparkstar purred, brushing her ears with his tail. Snowpaw tried to feel less tense. After all, Sparkstar was clearly trying to be a good mentor. And Snowpaw, deep down, knew he would be.

"Where are we going first?" she asked, keeping pace with him as they left the camp. His strides were quick, but it wasn't too hard for the apprentice to keep up.

"We're going to start off up near Snakerocks and work our way through the territory." The Clan leader answered. "I'll show you the Thunderpath if you're careful and listen to what I tell you to do."

Snowpaw nodded vigorously. "I will, I promise, Sparkstar." She mewed, dipping her head respectively. Even though she knew it was dangerous, she desperately wanted to see the Thunderpath. If she was to be a great warrior, she had to know every part of ThunderClan territory.

Within a few minutes they reached Snakerocks. She couldn't see any adders around, but she knew they were there, now that Greenleaf was approaching fast.

"Have you ever caught an adder?" Sparkstar's voice jerked her out of her thoughts.

"No." she answered.

"Would you like to try?"

Snowpaw looked at him warily. There weren't many mentors who would allow their apprentices to chase after an adder on their first day of training.

"It's okay, I'll be watching you." He assured her, as if reading her thoughts.

"All right." She agreed with a small nod.

"Okay, let me show you first." Her mentor crept forward, keeping his ears pricked for the slither of an adder on the ground.

Suddenly a small hiss and movement of leaves startled her, and she saw the arrow-shaped head peering warily around. But Sparkstar was already two pawsteps ahead of her. At that moment he pounced, his gray fur a blur in the air. There was one last his before he dug his claws into the scaly flesh of the adder's body. Snowpaw watched in awe. She was impressed how he was able to kill the adder quick enough to avoid its poisonous bite.

"Did you observe me carefully?" Sparkstar was padding back over to her, the adder in his jaws.

"I did." Snowpaw nodded. "Can I try now?" she was eager to test out what she had just observed.

"Yes you may. But be careful not to get bitten." He warned, nodding.

"I'll be very careful!" she smiled. At the flick of his tail she stole forward, listening extremely intently. It was a minute before she heard it; the slither of the creature sliding along the ground to her right.

She silently pinpointed the adder's exact position and crouched even lower on her paws. She snuck towards it, keeping her steps swift and light and speeding up on each one, just as Sparkstar had done.

The second the adder saw her, it was too late. She pounced, managing to grab on to the scaly end of its body. It quickly recoiled, coming straight at her flank, but she boldly dug her claws into its flesh. With one last hiss it fell limp in her grasp, and she looked anxiously over at Sparkstar for approval. He beckoned her over to him with his tail.

"That was excellent, Snowpaw!" he praised, his voice a mixture of pride and astonishment. Snowpaw couldn't help it, she smiled.

"Thank you, Sparkstar." She said politely, but inside she was glowing. She had been praised by the Clan leader! No, she didn't have to think of him only as the leader anymore. He was her mentor!

Suddenly she thought herself foolish to doubt being the apprentice of such an important Clan leader. He obviously thought she was something special, and that meant more than anyone knew to Snowpaw. But what about those signs that Mosspath had mentioned? Did those have anything to do with her uniqueness? She had a feeling they did.

"Come." Snowpaw felt Sparkstar's tail on her shoulder. "Let's go see the Thunderpath."

---------------------------------

_Whooosh!_ Snowpaw jumped backward, startled, as the Twoleg monster rushed past. It was going so _fast_!

"It won't hurt you, as long as you don't stray in its path." Her mentor said soothingly. "They never leave the Thunderpath. There are other kinds of monsters who do." He mewed.

Snowpaw was curious. She had never heard of a monster that left the Thunderpath! But they didn't have time for so many questions. She wanted to see every farthest she had been was the training hollow, and that was barely a fox-length from the camp!

------------------------------------

By the time they reached Sunningrocks, Snowpaw was exhausted. But she was determined not to show any sign of vulnerability. They had explored the Great Sycamore, Owl Tree, Fourtrees, and Tallpines, and their expedition was nearly finished. Sparkstar just wanted to show her Sunningrocks and renew the ThunderClan scent markers before they returned to camp. It had been a long day.

"Can you smell the RiverClan scent markers?" Sparkstar asked her. Snowpaw put her nose in the air and sniffed. Sure enough, there was a pungent smell of cats from an unfamiliar Clan.

"I can." Snowpaw confirmed.

"Good. Remember it well." He meowed. "Would you like to go renew our markers down there?" he flicked his tail to the left of them. Snowpaw nodded and walked down the border.

She had almost finished making all the rocks and bushes along the boundary when she heard a noise. There was a rustling noise coming from one of the bushes just beyond the border line. She took a sniff and winced at the extremely powerful RiverClan scent. She had best warn Sparkstar about this.

The apprentice had just opened her mouth to give a yowl to her mentor when a gray blur pounced on top of her, pinning her to the ground. She gave a hiss of surprise before sliding out from under the cat and clawing back at him. She grazed his foreleg before he spun away, preparing to leap once more at her. But Sparkstar came flying out of nowhere and pinned the cat down. Before Snowpaw had time to catch her breath, though, a brown streak flew by and did the same to her.

"Mrrow!" she wailed, the tabby cat's claws digging into her shoulders.

"Tabbytail!" a fierce voice cried from behind them. She managed to maneuver her head enough to see that Sparkstar had gotten off of the gray RiverClan cat and prowled over to Snowpaw and her captor.

"How, in the name of StarClan, do you dare to pin down my apprentice on her own territory?" her mentor hissed at the brown tabby she-cat. The cat loosened her pin on Snowpaw, who shot out from underneath her and straight to Sparkstar's side.

"Sparkstar." The tabby acknowledged him coolly. "And you dare do the same for mine?"

Sparkstar's eyes narrowed. "Of course I do. This insolent apprentice attacked a ThunderClan cat well inside our border!" he sneered. "I can see you haven't taught him respect for Clan boundaries."

If looks could kill, Tabbytail's would have at least sent Sparkstar to Mosspath with a bad case of greencough.

Sparkstar turned to Snowpaw. "Snowpaw, this is Tabbytail, the RiverClan _deputy_." He said the last work with disdain dripping from his tongue. It was clear that he didn't think Tabbytail was worthy of her position.

Tabbytail sensed his meaning. "Just because I am the youngest deputy the Clans have seen in moons doesn't mean I deserve my rank any less than you do!" she hissed.

"I never said that." Sparkstar meowed, a glint of amusement in his amber eyes. Tabbytail kept silent, drawing herself up to her full height, which was still a good two paw lengths smaller than the ThunderClan leader.

Snowpaw's head snapped to the side. She had heard a squeak and seen that RiverClan apprentice dart after something. "Hey!" she cried, realizing he had just killed a mouse that was rightfully _ThunderClan _prey!

Sparkstar's gaze sharply averted to the tomcat apprentice. His eyes narrowed and he looked back to Tabbytail. "I rest my case!" he growled. "You haven't even taught this kit not to steal another Clan's prey!"

"I am _not _a kit!" the apprentice hissed, his fur standing on end.

"If you're not a kit, then stop acting like one!" Sparkstar retorted sharply.

Snowpaw couldn't resist. "Yeah!" she sneered at the apprentice. He glared at her.

"Take it, then." He pushed the dead mouse toward her. "Go on."

Snowpaw drew back in disgust. "I don't want it now, it smells of RiverClan!" she wanted to cough at the horrid scent the mouse now carried.

"Do you have a problem with my Clan?" the apprentice snarled, advancing on Snowpaw.

"As a matter of fact, I…" Snowpaw began, but Sparkstar silenced her with a flick of his tail. Tabbytail silenced her apprentice as well.

"Enough, Troutpaw!" she hissed at him. "Come, we don't have time to deal with ThunderClan, however much they're asking for it."

Snowpaw glared after them as they retreated back into RiverClan boundaries. Tabbytail's tail was held high and she didn't give a look back, but Troutpaw kept stealing ferocious glances back at the ThunderClan cats.

"We should be getting back as well, Snowpaw." Sparkstar mewed, beckoning her back into the forest towards their camp.

Snowpaw had a feeling they hadn't seen the last of the RiverClan cats.


	5. Hard times lay ahead

**-Chapter 4-**

"Excellent, Snowpaw! Now aim for my right flank this time."

Snowpaw blushed in satisfaction and lowered herself to the sandy ground of the hollow, preparing to pounce.

Nearly a moon had passed since her apprentice ceremony, and despite the run-in with Tabbytail and Troutpaw, training was going smoothly. Life as a ThunderClan apprentice was proving to be more or less what she expected.

The strange thing, though, was that she was excelling faster than her siblings. She had been learning attack maneuvers while Mistpaw and Swipepaw were still only on defense strategies. She was nearly level with Fawnpaw, who had been training for a moon longer than her.

Snowpaw gave a yowl of triumph as she lunged at her mentor and managed to wipe him off his paws before he jumped back up and pushed her down. She bounced back and aimed a paw at his right flank, then at the last second clawing his left. Of course, they were doing this all with sheathed claws, but to Snowpaw, it seemed as if they were actually battling.

"Wonderful as usual, Snowpaw." Sparkstar gave her an affectionate lick on the ear and she smiled.

It was extremely curious how close the two had become, closer than just a mentor and his apprentice. It was like they had formed a mutual bond, they were partners, and Snowpaw considered Sparkstar to be more than just her teacher. He was her idol, and she wanted to be just like him. Although she wasn't completely sure of it yet, a tiny flame was alight in her mind, a flame of ambition to lead her Clan, just like Sparkstar.

"All right, enough for today. You've done well. And I bet you'd like to see the new kits." Sparkstar dismissed her. Snowpaw nodded eagerly and padded away.

Silverflower, a young ThunderClan queen, had just had her first litter of kits earlier that day; two she-cats named Rosekit and Lilykit. Snowpaw had been eager to see them, but Sparkstar had been intent on an early training session, so she had only had time to grab herself a mouse off the fresh-kill pile and run to Sandy Hollow.

"Snowpaw!" A voice greeted her as she emerged from the gorse tunnel. It was Redpaw, although he had recently had his warrior ceremony and was now Redwind. His brother Wildpaw was now Wildblaze.

"Hello, Redwind." She nuzzled her friend and pressed her flank against his. "I'm off to see the new kits. Have you seen them yet?"

"I went around Sunhigh." He mewed with a nod.

"Okay, I'll see you later." Snowpaw purred, and padded off towards the nursery.

Mosspath and Eaglestorm were sitting next to Silverflower, who was nursing the two kits. Snowpaw assumed Eaglestorm had fathered the pair.

"Welcome, Snowpaw. Would you like to meet Rosekit and Lilykit?" Silverflower purred proudly, beckoning the snowy apprentice over to her.

"Sure!" Snowpaw mewed softly, and went over to the queen.

Rosekit was a sweet, soft ginger color with brown eyes and a distinctive pink nose. Lilykit was a cute little tortoiseshell with white feet and green eyes. She looked up, wide-eyed, at Snowpaw as the pearly apprentice came over. Both kits mewed softly, and it reminded Snowpaw of her young days in the nursery, curling up next to their mother and suckling her.

She averted her gaze to Silverflower and smiled warmly. "They're perfect!" she purred, nuzzling the queen. Silverflower purred in gratitude and Snowpaw turned to leave. She caught Mosspath's eye on her way out, but the young medicine cat remained indifferent, giving her nothing more than a small nod.

Now Snowpaw was left with a lot of free time, and, unsure of what to do, decided to go find Fawnpaw and see what she was up to.

She found her friend grudgingly dragging a clump of wet moss from the stream. "One small bite of mouse on hunting duty and I've disgraced the name of a ThunderClan apprentice," she was muttering. "Oh, hi Snowpaw."

Snowpaw gave her friend an encouraging smile and pressed her flank against hers. "Don't worry, Fawnpaw. We've all sneaked bites before. I have."

Fawnpaw sighed. "But the thing is, _you_ didn't get caught!" she meowed, and swiped Snowpaw's nose playfully with her tail. Snowpaw ducked her blow, giving a little _mrrow_ of laughter.

"Be careful with that moss, you know how upset the elders get when they don't get enough water!" Snowpaw warned mischievously.

"I know, I know." Fawnpaw mewed, and padded forward faster, as if afraid that she'd have to listen to the elder's lecture about doing tasks correctly if she slacked off.

The two apprentices carried the moss over to the elder's den in fairly high spirits. The elders were okay, if you didn't count the grumpy Brownfur and the pessimistic Shorttail.

"About time!" They were greeted with Brownfur's grumpy, raspy mew. "We've been thirsty since sunrise!"

"Calm down, Brownfur. These apprentices are doing the best they can. And as I recall, you only started complaining at Sunhigh!" Bellwhisker, a kind old she-cat, purred.

"Sunhigh, sunrise, it's all the same to me!" Brownfur grumbled. The elders all bent over to lap some of the moisture off of the moss.

"Glad you appreciate it." Fawnpaw mumbled, low enough so no one but Snowpaw could hear. Snowpaw pressed her flank against her friend's.

"Thank you, young ones." Bellwhisker purred, nudging Peachpelt, a blind elder queen, over to the water. Peachpelt purred her thanks.

The two apprentices dipped their heads respectfully and retreated out of the den.

"Well, that was a waste of time." Fawnpaw grumbled. "They weren't even appreciative!"

Snowpaw brushed her nose with her tail. "Well, it was an important job. When we're elders, we'll want a couple of kind apprentices bringing _us _water, won't we?" she disagreed, although part of her was on Fawnpaw's side. "And besides, Bellwhisker and Peachpelt seemed appreciative enough."

Fawnpaw looked thoughtful. "I guess you're right. Brownfur and Shorttail are the only ones who ever…" she stopped. "Hey, wait! I didn't see Shorttail there, did you?"

Snowpaw stopped walking. "No, I didn't. I actually haven't seen her at all today." She observed quietly. "You don't think something might've happened, do you?"

"I don't know." Fawnpaw muttered anxiously, staring around. "The elders rarely leave their den."

"Why don't we go back and ask them if she left?" Snowpaw suggested. Fawnpaw nodded, and the pair padded back over to the den.

"Back again, little ones?" Bellwhisker mewed questioningly.

"Yes." The apprentices meowed.

"We were just wondering if you've seen Shorttail today. We thought she'd be with you." Snowpaw said.

Brownfur groaned. "Apprentices, never looking properly. Shorttail is right over…" he made to flick his tail over to Shorttail's usual nest, but then coughed in surprise. He turned back to the apprentices. "Where is she?"

"That's what we were asking you." Snowpaw mewed gently.

"Well we don't know where she is! I've been sleeping all morning!" Brownfur rasped angrily.

"Relax, Brownfur." Bellwhisker meowed, although she, too, looked anxious. "Shorttail never usually leaves the den." She said nervously.

"The last time I smelled her here was sunrise." Peachpelt's raspy mew came from the far side of the den.

"Yes, I don't recall seeing her here since." Burntclaw, an old tomcat, mewed.

"That's not good." Fawnpaw muttered. "I think we'd better look for her." She said to Snowpaw. Snowpaw nodded her agreement and turned back to the elders.

"Don't worry, we'll find her." She said reassuringly. None of them looked very much assured. Snowpaw and Fawnpaw backed out of the den and charged into the woods.

"She's definitely not in camp, we would've seen her." Snowpaw meowed. Fawnpaw nodded.

They prowled through the woods, searching for a scent. Snowpaw was considering giving up when suddenly—

"I've found a scent!"

Fawnpaw was a little ways off, mouth open and nose close to the ground. Snowpaw ran over to her and sniffed.

Yes, it was Shorttail, but it was stale. It couldn't be any more recent than sunrise. But they still had to follow it.

"Come on, this way." Snowpaw said, following the scent. They were heading south of camp, towards Sunningrocks and the RiverClan border. Snowpaw recalled her first visit here, although then she had been excited to explore the territory with her mentor and not anxiously searching for a missing Clan elder. They had to hurry.

"It's getting stronger!" Fawnpaw hissed as they neared the boundary.

"You go that way, I'll go this way." Snowpaw instructed, heading towards the right over to Sunningrocks. Fawnpaw took to the left.

Suddenly the scent became so strong that Snowpaw was surprised she wasn't standing right on top of the cat. Se sniffed around and her nose led her to a crevice in Sunningrocks.

Inside was the gray tabby body of Shorttail, clearly dead.

Snowpaw gave a yowl and stood still, rooted to the spot. Within seconds, Fawnpaw was with her.

"What…" the ginger and white apprentice's voice trailed off. "Oh no." she mewed softly. "Not Shorttail."

"Come on, we'd better get her back to camp." Snowpaw muttered after a long silence. Fawnpaw nodded. Together they dragged Shorttail's lifeless body out of the crevice and into the sun. Snowpaw noticed that she had claw marks on her neck and her gray tabby pelt was stained with blood.

"I can't believe it." Fawnpaw meowed sadly.

"Hey! What are you youngsters doing here?"

Snowpaw's head snapped around and she saw Windstorm with Yellowtail and Wildblaze; the sunset patrol. But she couldn't bring herself to answer the older warrior.

Wildblaze snorted. "What, mouse got your ton…" he cut himself off when he saw the expressions on the two apprentices' faces. His gaze averted to Shorttail's body.

"What happened?" Yellowtail asked sternly, but Snowpaw saw the extreme sadness in the she-cat's eyes. Shorttail had been her mother.

"We don't know yet. Shorttail wasn't in the elder's den so we went out to look for here and…this is what we found." Fawnpaw answered solemnly. It was always a sad thing when a cat of one's Clan died, especially if it was a much respected elder. Shorttail may have been extremely pessimistic, but she had been a good warrior in her day.

There was a long silence. "Well, we must get her back to camp and notify Sparkstar. We cannot just sit here mourning her. She has gone to hunt with StarClan now, and there's nothing we can do about it." Windstorm mewed. He and Wildblaze began to drag Shorttail's body towards the trees. Yellowtail, Snowpaw, and Fawnpaw followed.

"It must've been RiverClan!" Wildblaze growled through a mouthful of Shorttail's fur.

"She carries no scent. We can't confirm that." Yellowtail said firmly, but she looked as if she would have no trouble blaming the sleek-furred, well-fed Clan for the death of her mother.

"No scent could mean the same thing as a strong scent." Wildblaze hissed, but kept quiet after that.

When they reached the camp, Thistlewind was just preparing to take her watch by the gorse tunnel. She drew back in shock when they dragged the limp body through.

"What happened?" the younger warrior gasped. But the cats didn't speak. Yellowtail ran off to Sparkstar's den while Windstorm and Wildblaze pulled the body over to the center of the Clearing. Snowpaw and Fawnpaw sat uncomfortably on the edge of the clearing. S minute later, Sparkstar emerged from his den, looking solemn but a tad angry. He bounded on top of Highrock, a challenging glint in his yellow eyes.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!"

At once, all of the cats of ThunderClan gathered around the clearing, looking, shocked, at Shorttail's lifeless body. The elders looked horrified, and Bellwhisker even gave a cry. One of the warriors pressed her flank comfortingly into the old cat's own.

"Cats of all ages, this evening a horrible thing has happened to one of our respected elders, and as a result she now hunts with StarClan." Sparkstar meowed over the crowd. There were murmurs of sorrow throughout the Clan. "We have no idea what has happened to her, as she carries no scent. She was found near Sunningrocks."

One of the cats, a huge dark brown tabby called Coldfoot, gave a growl. "Then it was RiverClan! RiverClan has invaded our territory and killed Shorttail!" he hissed. A few yowls of agreement met his accusation. Sparkstar silenced them all with a sharp glare and a flick of his tail. He clearly wasn't in a good mood.

"I will take this up with Brookstar at the Gathering tomorrow. Until then I want only my assigned patrols to near Sunningrocks. Remember, we have no reason to accuse RiverClan without complete proof." He mewed, and with that, leaped off the rock and into his den. Flamefur followed, and a second later, Mosspath joined them. Snowpaw was bursting with curiosity; the three important cats had been having private discussions a lot, but she knew that she was only an apprentice and had no reason to join them.

"Snowpaw!"

Snowpaw saw Mistpaw padding towards her. "Thistlewind said you were one of the ones who found…" she began, but Snowpaw cute her off with a small shake of her head.

"I'm going to sleep." She said simply, and padded off into the apprentice den.

---------------------------------

Sparkstar, Flamefur, and Mosspath were gathered inside the leader's den, all looking solemn. Sparkstar's yellow eyes shone with challenge through the shadows. He didn't like the way things had been going lately.

"What's your take on all of this?" the ThunderClan leader turned to his deputy.

"I honestly don't know what to think, Sparkstar. This just piled on top of us at the worst possible time." He meowed, in a sotto voice. Sparkstar gave a nod.

"And you, Mosspath?" he turned to the young medicine cat.

Mosspath's green eyes met Sparkstar's yellow. "I don't think it was RiverClan that attacked Shorttail." She said firmly. Sparkstar shook his head.

"I don't either." He purred. "But all the same, it is my duty as leader to question Brookstar about it, to ease the Clan's minds."

Mosspath swished her bushy brown tail a bit. "When half-moon comes I will go to the Moonstone to consult with StarClan. Hopefully after that we will have a better understanding of our situation." She mewed. "But there is one thing I know for certain, and I don't need StarClan to confirm this."

Sparkstar tilted his head questioningly. "And what is that?"

Mosspath's eyes were clouded with sorrow. "There are hard times ahead for ThunderClan."

And she turned and padded swiftly out of the den.


	6. Invasion at the Gathering

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry it's been so long, but I've had so much other stories to work on that this one was pushed to the back of the list. But I'm ready to continue it now!**

**-Chapter 5-**

Snowpaw's eyes snapped open abruptly. Her head rose, but all she heard was the rustling of the canopy of leaves above her in the wind. What had awoken her?

Try as she might, she couldn't get back to sleep. Carefully, so as not to wake any of her siblings or Fawnpaw, she padded out of the den and into the cool, breezy newleaf night.

Snowpaw stared up at Silverpelt in awe. Right then, alone, she felt closer to her warrior ancestors than she had ever felt before. She felt as if she could reach a paw up to the glittering stars and feel one of her deceased Clanmates. Indeed, it felt as if they were standing right—

Snowpaw's eyes widened in shock as she noticed a silvery, ghostly cat prowling beside her. Despite the spirit look the cat had taken on, Snowpaw could still recognize that gray tabby pelt from her many encounters with the pessimistic old cat.

"Shorttail? Is that you?" she purred softly. The ghostly cat beside her nodded but did not speak. "What are you doing here?"

But the ghostly elder remained silent and held her head high, giving a little flick of her tail as if to tell Snowpaw to continue with whatever it was that she was doing.

Snowpaw sighed and took a few soft pawsteps toward Highrock. It seemed to glow in the moonlight.

"Snowpaw."

Snowpaw spun around toward the source of the soft, misty voice. A beautiful white and silver she-cat with the most stunning blue eyes Snowpaw had ever seen was standing, tall and proud, behind her. The cat seemed familiar; although Snowpaw was sure she had never seen her in life.

"You're…Skywing!" Snowpaw gasped silently, recognizing the former medicine cat who had coincidentally died the night before the snowy apprentice had been kitted.

Skywing nodded, smiling. "You are Snowpaw."

Snowpaw blinked in confirmation. The two cats stood in silence for a short while, but suddenly Snowpaw heard movement from the apprentice den. Snowpaw waited with bated breath for a moment, but there were no more sounds. She turned back to Skywing, but the medicine cat was looking solemn.

"We must go." She purred, beckoning Shorttail to her side.

"But…wait! Why did you come anyway?" Snowpaw mewed, quietly but urgently. But Skywing shook her head.

"Remember, Snowpaw, StarClan will always be with you."

And suddenly the two spirit cats were gone from her side, as if by magic. Snowpaw looked around bewilderedly for a few seconds. She had to get some sleep. Tomorrow night was the Gathering, and she wanted to prove to Sparkstar that she was good enough to attend.

She made her way back to her den on the far side of the clearing, passing Sparkstar's den on the way.

She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw a pair of familiar yellow eyes watching her intently from through the lichen curtain.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Snowpaw, listen!"

Snowpaw was standing beside her brother and sister at the ridge just over Fourtrees. Mistpaw was bouncing up and down with obvious excitement, while Swipepaw was standing still and proud, with a kind of silent anticipation. Snowpaw was pretty sure she was somewhere in between.

The snowy apprentice could here the murmur of cats—so many cats!—down in the clearing below. She couldn't wait to get down there and see if all the nursery tales about the other Clans was true. Were ShadowClan really as coldhearted as the stories said? She was anxious to find out.

Suddenly Sparkstar, at the head of the group, gave a yowl and plunged down into the clearing. As the ThunderClan warriors burst through the clearing, Snowpaw saw more cats than she'd ever seen in her life surrounding a huge rock where three cats were standing. She assumed that those were the other three leaders; Brookstar, Sunstar, and Strikestar, and that ThunderClan were the last to arrive.

Sparkstar charged right up to the Great Rock, but the rest of his Clan milled around with the other cats. Bellwhisker and Burntclaw, the elders who had attended the Gathering, went off to join the group of elders who had assembled off to the side. Clan rivalry didn't seem to apply to them, because they greeted each other as warmly as if they had been Clanmates for moons.

"Ooh, ooh, look at that! And that! And—yes, coming, Thistlewind!" Mistpaw's happy mew rang in Snowpaw's ears as she charged off towards her mentor, who was beckoning to her. Snowpaw pressed closer to her brother, suddenly unsure of where to go.

"Look, Snowpaw, there's some apprentices over there," he pointed out, and the two littermates padded off to them. Snowpaw narrowed her eyes when she noticed that Troutpaw, the disrespectful RiverClan apprentice, was among them. She pointedly turned her white tabby head away from him, and instead joined her brother in chatting with a pair of WindClan apprentices, Sugarpaw and Sprucepaw.

"Hello, I'm Snowpaw," she purred politely after they introduced themselves, and the two other apprentices dipped their heads.

"You're ThunderClan, right?" Sugarpaw, the ginger tabby she-cat, asked. When Snowpaw nodded, she continued. "I don't know how you managed being enclosed in all those trees, I like being out under the open sky all day," she meowed.

"Well, I don't think I'd ever be able to charge after rabbits as fast as you WindClan cats do!" Snowpaw twitched her ears in amusement.

She talked with Sugarpaw for a few minutes more, and then nudged Swipepaw, who was talking to Sprucepaw. "I'm going to go find Mosspath," she mewed, and he flicked his tail to show he had heard. She said a quick goodbye to Sugarpaw and looked around the clearing for the medicine cat, spotting her over to the left side of the Great Rock. She padded over to her.

"Hi, Mosspath," she greeted the bushy-tailed she-cat. Mosspath flicked the apprentice's ear playfully with her tail.

"Hello, Snowpaw!" she returned the greeting warmly, and turned her head to her companions, who Snowpaw assumed were the other medicine cats. "Snowpaw, this is RiverClan's medicine cat, Springstep," she began, gesturing first towards a tortoiseshell and white she-cat, "Charcoalclaw, of ShadowClan," she gestured to a dark gray tom, who's name seemed to deceive the soft expression on his face, "And Sparrowflight, of WindClan, with her apprentice, Songpaw." Finally she pointed out a ginger and brown she-cat with a young gray tabby she-cat beside her.

Charcoalclaw dipped his head towards Snowpaw. "Would this be your apprentice, Mosspath?" he asked the ThunderClan medicine cat. Mosspath purred and shook her head.

"No, I have not begun training an apprentice yet," she told him. "Snowpaw is just a young friend of mine." She touched noses with Snowpaw. "Even though she is training as a warrior, she visits me in the medicine den quite often. Isn't that right, Snowpaw?"

Snowpaw nodded happily. She liked the was Mosspath referred to her as a friend, even though the brown she-cat was close to three whole seasons older than her.

The WindClan apprentice Songpaw weaved her way over to her. "Hi, Snowpaw," she greeted her. "I'm Songpaw. How long have you been an apprentice?" she asked.

"Close to a moon and a half," she answered. "What about you?"

"Two moons," answered Songpaw.

"What made you decide to become a medicine cat?" Snowpaw asked, curious. Songpaw shrugged.

"I wanted to find a way to help my Clanmates without having to fight." She licked a paw and drew it over her ear. "Becoming a medicine cat apprentice seemed the perfect way, and so far I really like it," she said. "Sparrowflight is a very good teacher."

Sparrowflight purred and gave her apprentice an affectionate lick between the ears. Suddenly, a loud yowl drew every cat's attention to the leaders on the Great Rock.

"The Gathering shall begin now!" Brookstar meowed above the noise, and all became quiet. She flicked her tail towards Sunstar, the WindClan leader, to begin. He flicked his ear in confirmation and stepped up.

"WindClan has pulled through leaf-bare with little trouble, and now that newleaf has come, prey is running excellently once more. We have one new apprentice, Pearpaw. He remained behind for this gathering, though." Sunstar stepped back, and Brookstar began.

"RiverClan has a new litter of kits born to Diamondpelt. They are named Streamkit, Whitekit, and Runningkit. Other than that, we have no news."

Sparkstar immediately spoke. "ThunderClan has been blessed with a new litter as well. One of our queens, Silverflower, has given birth to two healthy she-kits, Lilykit and Rosekit." He continued. "Newleaf is welcomed in our territory, and prey is running strong."

Strikestar took his place next, looking angry about something. A whisper passed through the cats in the clearing, and Snowpaw pricked her ears. Strikestar opened his mouth to speak. "ShadowClan has been—"

At that moment Fourtrees was plunged into complete darkness as a cloud covered the moon, and there was a menacing yowl as intruders charged into the clearing.


End file.
